An automatic gripper system with a transport belt follows for example from EP 1 986 941 A1. This gripper system has a rigid plate which is pushed under a soft or sensitive object which is to be transported. In order to avoid deforming the object, a transport belt is placed around the plate. When the plate is pushed under the object, the transport belt moves relative to the plate, but not relative to the object. In this way friction between the object and the transport plate is avoided.
With regard to the transport belt there are two different variants in EP 1 986 941 B1. In one variant the transport belt is pretensioned. Here, however it is necessary that both ends of the transport belt are fastened to different points in the gripper system and that a tensioning device engages one end of the transport belt. With the other variant the transport belt is closed to form an endless transport belt around the gripper plate. With this embodiment however no tensioning device is provided, because there is no free end of the transport belt available with which a tensioning device could engage.